WORLD ROUNDUPWho May Challenge Putin for Power | U.K. as a Cyber Target | Turkey’s Coming Election, and more

The Man Who May Challenge Putin for Power  (Mikhail Zygar, New York Times)
President Vladimir Putin of Russia, it seems, has finally noticed that the war in Ukraine created a dangerous competitor to his power: Yevgeny Prigozhin, the founder of the private military company, the Wagner group, whose troops fight alongside the Russian Army.
Depending on your point of view, Mr. Prigozhin could be considered either the Person of the Year or the Villain of the Year. Mr. Putin is, according to many sources in Moscow, confident that he can weaken Mr. Prigozhin, who has clashed with the military’s general staff. However, the effect could be the opposite, with more people seeing Mr. Prigozhin as the most probable favorite to succeed Mr. Putin.

As Tough Elections Loom in Turkey, Erdogan Is Spending for Victory  (Ben Hubbard, New York Times)
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is trying to soften the blow of inflation on the population and using legal threats to bolster his position ahead of a vote that could reshape his country.

Turkey’s Problem Isn’t Sweden. It’s the United States.  (Halil Karaveli, Foreign Policy)
Erdogan has focused on Stockholm’s stance toward Kurdish exile groups, but Ankara’s real demand is the end of U.S. support for Kurds in Syria.

What Makes Germany’s Leopard 2 Tank the Best Fit for Ukraine?  (Economist)
Since entering service in 1979 the Leopard 2 has gained a reputation as one of the world’s best main battle tank (MBT). Several European countries, including Finland and Poland, have large numbers of them, although some are kept in storage (see table). Turkey has more than 300, according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), a think-tank. Not all Leopards are identical; the tank has been upgraded several times. Germany says it will send the relatively recent 2A6; other countries will probably send older models, such as the 2A4.
Yet all these models are superior to the Soviet-era tanks that Russia is using on the battlefield, such as the T-72 and the T-90. These tanks do not have the same level of stabilization as Western ones, according to the Royal United Services Institute, another think-tank, meaning they are less capable of firing accurately while moving. Tanks like the T-72 also lack blast doors between their crew and ammunition stores. That allows them to be operated by three men instead of the Western-standard four. But it means that strikes from above are more likely to cause catastrophic explosions.
Crucially for tank-hungry Ukraine, the Leopard 2 also has advantages over its Western counterparts. According to Janes, a defense-intelligence provider, the Leopard 2A4 weighs about 55 tons. The Leopard 2A6 is nearly 58 tons. Both models have a top speed of 72kph (45mph), making them quicker than both the Abrams (68kph) and the Challenger 2 (56kph). And the range of both Leopard 2 models—how far they can travel before refueling—is 550km. That is the same as that of their British Challenger counterpart, and superior to that of the Abrams (426km).

UK Cyber Experts Warn of Targeted Phishing Attacks from Actors Based in Russia and Iran  (NCSC)
The UK has today (Thursday) warned of the threat from targeted spear-phishing campaigns against organisations and individuals carried out by cyber actors based in Russia and Iran.
In an advisory published today, the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) – a part of GCHQ – shared details about the techniques and tactics used by the attackers as well as mitigation advice to combat the continuing threat.